Johannesburg has featured prominently in the tribulations of Gavin Hamilton.

Ten years ago, in the very hotel in which we sit down to chat, Hamilton checked in as a fresh-faced England prospect, full of hope and optimism.

Lured away from Scotland following an outstanding 1999 World Cup, he was the next big thing. One Test, no runs or wickets later, and he was done. "But coming back here to the hotel actually brings back some really good memories,"

he smiles. "Even though the Test match went a bit pearshaped, I developed as a person and as a batsman."

Having accumulated the wisdom of both success and failure, along with a few grey hairs, Hamilton is eager not to make up for lost time but to enjoy what he has left. Aged 34, he plans - currently at least - to call time on what remains a fine career two years from now. It would coincide neatly with the 2011 World Cup, a perfect stage on which to exit.

However, the Saltires poor performances in the qualifiers for that grand showcase have left their participation in the balance. Today, in the opening tie of the Super Eight round, they take on the Netherlands.

Defeat would push them to the brink of crushing disappointment.

It has reignited memories of two years ago, when the Scots went to the Caribbean and imploded. There were too many factions, Hamilton admits.

Disharmony reigned. "The sad thing about this trip is that there is far more togetherness than there was in the West Indies," he reveals. "There's just something not quite gelling.

I don't know what it is.

I think there have been a few home truths coming out over the last few days, certainly in practices and going about our cricket. We know we're 30%, 40% behind where we should be as a side at the minute."

The Netherlands, by contrast, have over-performed.

They sit in third place in the reshuffled standings, with the Scots in sixth, and just four spots for 2011 up for grabs.

Ironically, it is Peter Drinnen - ousted in a palace coup from his role as Scotland coach two years ago - who has done much to pull the Dutch together and produce a fine fighting unit built around Essex's formidable all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate. "We're well balanced," he declared.

"Ryan's featured on some days but when he hasn't, others have stepped up."

When pressed about his former team, though, Drinnen's lips are sealed. His was a messy exit. The precise truth, the involvement of senior players and of Cricket Scotland management, has never been wholly pieced together.

Yet, one can surmise he would savour this scalp.

Hamilton is less diplomatic about the Australian, describing their relationship as "steady". There were differences of option about his approach, he explains, about the way in which the side was allowed to fracture when unity was required most.

"For me, his man-management wasn't as it should be,"

the former Yorkshire and Durham all-rounder asserts.

"There wasn't that much togetherness in the West Indies and for me, a coach has to be a man manager. He's got to see people differently. You can't deal with every person in the same way. Some people need preparation different to others."

His successor, Pete Steindl, has been more flexible but the whip has certainly been cracked. The mood among the squad is that the mistakes must end and the basics rediscovered.

"It's probably a real good thing for us.

"It's there in black and white: win every game," Hamilton said. "We've not been lazy but we've maybe been lackadaisical and we have to put that right."